novelzi Chapter 87
Chapter 87
The army dispatched by the court to launch a surprise attack, in order to conceal their whereabouts, took a circuitous route through the wilderness.
Fearing any mishaps, they numbered only five thousand, using the dense forest as cover, making a grand show of their presence, intentionally revealing a hint of their true intentions for the scouts of Hu Prefecture to notice.
The defenses of Hu Prefecture were not strong enough.
If the Prefectural Commander learned of someone intending to attack the city, he would definitely dispatch messengers to urgently report to Qing Prefecture.
And the thousand troops led by Dong Cheng, who were feigning surrender, should have already arrived in Qing Prefecture.
After the urgent report from Hu Prefecture was sent, corroborating Dong Cheng’s words, it was expected that the former prince’s faction would lower their guard against Dong Cheng.
The court had everything planned out, but they didn’t expect that the scouts who discovered their whereabouts were not from the Hu Prefecture army, but rather from the group led by Chu Chengji.
Chu Chengji ordered his men to enter Hu Prefecture at night and inform Wang Biao to lead the soldiers from within the city to encircle this army from the front.
At that time, the court’s troops were camping and resting in the dense forest of Longgu Mountain.
After all, the scouts’ vision was obstructed in the forest, and Hu Prefecture couldn’t accurately estimate their numbers.
Fearing an ambush, the defenders of Hu Prefecture hesitated to attack even after discovering their trail.
As long as they could prolong the time and send news of the court’s army attacking Hu Prefecture to Qing Prefecture, their mission would be accomplished.
This plan was foolproof, but unexpectedly, as the army was halfway through setting up camp, a scout came rushing to report, “General! Something big is happening! A cavalry from Hu Prefecture is heading towards us!”
The main general leading this army immediately changed his expression. “Are you sure you saw it? Are they really coming this way?”
The scout nodded vigorously. “Absolutely!”
The main general paced back and forth anxiously in the newly established central military tent, then asked, “How many troops do they have?”
He was afraid of exposing the number of his own troops, so they had taken a detour to camp in the outskirts of Hu Prefecture’s largest Longgu Mountain.
After all, Longgu Mountain Range stretched for miles.
By camping on the outskirts, it was impossible for the scouts outside to accurately estimate the exact number of troops they had.
Moreover, the terrain of Longgu Mountain was conducive to defense.
Even in the worst-case scenario, if Hu Prefecture’s army attacked, they could retreat from the mountain.
Upon hearing his question, the scout hurriedly replied, “A thousand cavalry in the vanguard, followed by four to five thousand infantry!”
Upon hearing this number, the main general felt uneasy and cursed, “Who is guarding Hu Prefecture? How reckless they are to send troops without even figuring out our troop numbers!
But for today, if we had a few thousand more troops in our hands, taking down Hu Prefecture would be a piece of cake! They wouldn’t dare to act so recklessly.”
The main general didn’t have time to listen to their flattery.
He looked at the map of Longgu Mountain and quickly made a decision. “Let a thousand troops ambush outside Longgu Mountain, while the rest go up the mountain.
Light some more torches! Create the illusion that we have tens of thousands of troops stationed here to scare off those reckless men from Hu Prefecture!”
This plan was indeed the best strategy for the moment.
However, before the several deputy generals could speak, another scout rushed into the tent, “Report!”
He was running so fast that his military cap was askew, looking quite disheveled. “General, there’s also a Chu army marching towards us from Longgu Mountain!”
The main general had just taken his seat, and upon hearing this, he was almost startled out of his wits.
He wasn’t stupid.
If there was a Chu army on Longgu Mountain, it meant that their strength had long been figured out.
No wonder the defenders of Hu Prefecture dared to attack directly.
Originally, they could retreat from Longgu Mountain, but now even this retreat route was blocked.
The main general quickly adjusted his strategy: “Send my orders, the army must retreat immediately to the Great Creek Ravine!”
Continuing deeper into the forest, fearing they might fall into an ambush by the Chu army on the mountain, and facing the possibility of being sandwiched between the Hu Prefecture garrison coming to encircle them, they had no choice but to descend the mountain first.
There were two evacuation routes down Longgu Mountain, and the Hu Prefecture garrison attacked from the other route, leaving only the Great Creek Ravine unblocked.
The group couldn’t even dismantle their camp, fleeing from Longgu Mountain like dogs without a home.
The Chu army chasing them down from the mountain bit onto them tightly like hungry wolves, hysterically cursing, “Thieves! You night raiders who entered Hu Prefecture, plundered our ancestors’ imperial tomb, disturbed their peace, this enmity is unforgivable!”
The court soldiers looked at each other as they fled.
Although they had set up camp outside Longgu Mountain, they hadn’t gone to plunder any imperial tombs.
Grave robbing was condemned by the heavens, especially since the imperial tomb, after the Dragonstone was sealed, had no accessible entrance from the outside.
Even if one forcefully entered the tomb, there were traps inside, and one could easily lose their life with the slightest mistake.
Who would dare to take such risks, unless they had a map of the imperial tomb?
Chu Chengji and Lin Yao watched the panicked officials fleeing from the mountaintop.
Lin Yao wanted to pursue them, but Chu Chengji stopped him.
“This battle was quite exhilarating, wasn’t it?” Lin Yao smirked. “Your Highness, isn’t this what they call ‘do not pursue a fleeing enemy’?”
The cold light of the moon fell on Chu Chengji’s face, carving out perfect jawline.
His gaze was as calm as an ancient well. “Let them go back and report. Killing some will dampen the morale of the court.”
Most importantly, causing chaos within the court would create an opportunity for breakthrough.
These officials came to Hu Prefecture with clandestine motives.
Lin Yao found the reasoning sound.
The thought of those officials, stinking of manure, running back home filled him with satisfaction.
As they rode back together, Lin Yao couldn’t help but grin, “The people of the world respect Emperor Wu, yet some little rascal dared to claim digging up his tomb. The court’s descendants are in for a rough time!”
Chu Chengji followed his lead, “Spread the word among the people, and let them tighten their tongues. Dig up the tomb of Emperor Wu together with his ancestors.”
His tone was as indifferent as commenting on the pleasantness of the moonlit night.
Lin Yao almost fell off his horse, his tongue tangled in his mouth as he struggled to speak, “You... really want to dig up Emperor Wu’s tomb?”
Chu Chengji looked at Lin Yao, “The rumors have already spread among the people. We must solidify them.”
In other words, the court must bear this burden firmly.
Lin Yao’s face contorted in frustration.
He wanted to say more, but Chu Chengji interrupted, “If there’s blame, it falls on me. It’s not your concern, General Lin.”
Lin Yao thought to himself that it’s not about avoiding blame; it’s about being unable to carry out such an order!
...
On the day Chu Chengji left Qing Prefecture, Dong Cheng arrived in Qing Prefecture with his men under the cover of night.
Upon hearing that he came to surrender and serve under Chu Chengji, Qin Zheng, though delighted at the prospect of Dong Cheng joining them, hesitated to welcome him directly into the city.
Instead, she summoned Song Heqing and Cen Daoxi, her advisors, to discuss how to handle the situation.
Song Heqing and Dong Da had served together in the court, and knowing Dong Da’s character, he deeply regretted his death.
Learning that Dong Da’s son wished to join Chu Chengji’s forces, he fully supported the idea.
However, Cen Daoxi hesitated, “General Dong committed suicide after Your Highness captured Meng Prefecture. Now his son comes to join us... it’s inappropriate.”
Song Heqing and Cen Daoxi usually agreed on matters of policy, but now, hearing his old friend’s son suspected,
Song Heqing couldn’t help but defend him, “General Dong surrendered Xu Prefecture to protect its people, not to become a lackey of the Li family.
The Dong family has always been upright, and the young master Dong is a talented youth. Why shouldn’t we accept him?”
Cen Daoxi countered, “General Dong died, and his son wasn’t there. If someone with ill intentions exploits the grudge of patricide, it may be detrimental to Your Highness in the future.”
With this point, Song Heqing found it hard to argue.
The troops under Dong Da had been incorporated by Chu Chengji, and now they served him.
Dong Cheng wouldn’t be able to refute their claims.
Listening to their debate, Qin Zheng felt a headache coming on.
She knew Cen Daoxi’s concerns were valid, but if she rejected the son of a loyal subject, it might discourage others from joining Chu Chengji.
After much consideration, she said, “Since Young Master Dong claims there is trouble in Hu Prefecture, send someone to investigate. If his words are true, it seems Young Master Dong is indeed here to surrender.”
If Dong Cheng’s words turned out to be true, the information he provided would be a great asset.
Qin Zheng wasn’t particularly worried.
With Chu Chengji stationed there, there shouldn’t be any major upheaval.
Eventually, Dong Cheng was allowed into Qing Prefecture alone, while his thousand troops camped outside the city, awaiting orders.
Dong Cheng remained composed, awaiting news from Hu Prefecture.
But to his surprise, instead of news of an imperial army besieging Hu Prefecture, he received word that the imperial army had acted shamelessly, secretly going to Hu Prefecture to dig up an imperial tomb!
And not just any tomb, but the tomb of Emperor Wu, the founder of the Great Chu Dynasty!
This news was horrifying.
Everyone was shocked, but after the initial shock wore off, no one doubted its veracity.
Primarily because of the actions of Li Xin’s army.
Their atrocities were numerous, from massacres to pillaging. When they marched to Bianjing, such behavior was common.